dividebytube

Scout 1.1 Tonearm ComparisonI absolutely love my Aries table with the JMW 10.5i arm. Even though I've been into VPI for years, I find their model lines and upgrades a tad confusing (and sometimes a bit on the expensive side - $1200 for a SDS?!). The sheer number of platter &...

Sep 09, 2013

Why do some audiophiles beat up McIntosh?My introduction to high-end audio was through McIntosh. I had a friend who - in the late 80s - owned most of the 60s stuff - The MC60, MC240, MC30s, the C22, etc. Those units have a special place in my memory since I got my first taste of the audi...

Sep 09, 2013

Your first amp?The year was 1989. I was about to head off to college without a stereo. I had just heard a friend's McIntosh 240 amplifier and was amazed by the looks and the sound. I had zero experience with tube gear.He asks if I would like to buy a tube amp?Su...

Oct 24, 2012

What is the single best pre amp you have ever hearthe preamplifier nut is one of the hardest to crack.I really enjoyed my Threshold FET-10/HL linestage - though a little dark, it never got in the way of the music. The matching -10/PC phono preamp was good, but I've heard better.I'm now running a ...

Oct 09, 2012

Amplifiers:A Keeper for Life. Do you know of one ?rebuilt EICO HF-60s - with GEC CV4085s, good 6SN7s, Mullard 5AR4s, and vintage Mullard EL34s. Updated with new caps,they're the best I've heard so far - something about those Acrosound TO-330 transformers.

Oct 09, 2012

Tube Amps from ChinaMagnepans love power...Back when I had 1.6QRs, I hooked up a "50" (more like 25-30!) watt EL34 Yaqin MC-10T amplifier. It sounded pretty good - provided you didn't listen at loud levels or any music with deep bass.Perhaps a Ming Da MD75 would work...

Sep 19, 2012

best chinese tube amp under $1k?I own a Yaqin MC-10T. It's a PP EL34 amp. Sound, though not as good as my EICO HF-60s, is still quite impressive for the low price. It has a very 'modern' / fast sound. I ran mine for many hours without any issue - currently on loan to a friend wh...

Sep 17, 2012

Set amps ?I love single-ended amplifiers but I've run into matching problems with lower efficient speakers. Even a homemade 15W SE (ultralinear in this case) amp with negative feedback couldn't drive a pair of current hungry Magnepan speakers to any reasona...

Jun 21, 2012

Which B&K ST-140?I used to own a B&K ST-140 as a backup amplifier. It ran 86dB Magnepan 1.6QRs without too much problem. It was a second generation one - 105WPC, torodial transformer, 2 output devices per channel. The first generation has a standard frame tran...

Jun 06, 2012

Recommendation for Tube Preamp around $1000I recently bought a Quicksilver full function the older one with dual 6X4 rectifiers. Needless to say, I'm very happy with the sound, especially after doing some tube rolling: RCA 12FQ7s and vintage Mullard 12AX7s.

Did I blow my tube amp?Things to check:1 -Do the tubes still light up? If not, check the fuse.2 - Check connections - both input and output. We all do silly stuff, like the time I plugged the speaker wires in to the 4-ohm and 8-ohm tap, hence no sound!3) if you have the...

Apr 09, 2012

General opinion about ADCOM amplifiersI've owned the 535, while my father still owns the venerable 555 after all these years.To my ears, these 80s/90s Adcom amps are a touch dry, and a little grainy. If going budget SS, I prefer the B&K ST-140 which has a warmer sound. Of course I...

Mar 05, 2012

REVIEW: Meng Yayi KT88 Monoblocksthanks for the update.I recently bought a Yaqin MC-10T tube integrated amplifier that uses EL34s and a brace of 12AT7s. Honestly, for the price, I couldn't be any happier. It certainly sound better than quite a few vintage amps I've owned. I've ev...